INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. butter
*see healthy substitution below
2 cups graded carrots
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped onion
4 tsp tarragon
4 tsp thyme
4 tsp basil
4 tsp garlic
4 tsp dill (optional)
4 cups heavy cream
*see healthy substitution below
1 to 1 1/2 cups flour
14 cups tomato juice
6 cups canned diced tomatoes in juice
Chicken bullion
1/2 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS:

We find it easiest to put all the vegetables in a food processor and let it chop everything however small you wish it to be in your soup. Some people like it more chunky while others like it runny. After chopped, put all ingredients in a BIG pot and saute with melted butter. Add flour to thicken , and then add chicken base to taste, sugar, tomato juice and diced tomatoes. Simmer and add heavy cream.

Healthy Substitutions:

If you want to make a tomato soup from scratch that is not going to put on the pounds as well here are some alternative we have used that work really well. We substitute all or some of the butter for olive oil (only using as much as is required to saute the vegetables). Substitute the heavy cream for blended cooked rice (when blending rice it is a very sticky messy job. We found that adding water or even liquid from the soup helps keep the it less sticky and messy.) NOTE: If using rice instead of heavy cream, you probably wont have to add flour to thicken the soup.
We have found that these substitutions taste just fine and make for an incredible tomato soup from scratch recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 lbs banana squash, remove seeds and the rind (we used approximately 1/4 of a large squash)
1 green apple, peeled and diced (granny smith worked well)
1/2 onion diced
2 Tbs fresh ginger, peeled and chopped very small (roughly 1 in cube pre-chopped)
3 Tbs butter
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup half and half cream

DIRECTIONS:

Saute the banana squash, apple onion and butter. Add salt and pepper. Once they begin to soften (~10 min) add the ginger and continue to saute for another 2 min. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then simmer for ~45 min. Add the cream and blend until smooth.

If you are in a hurry one of the quickest ways to locate coupons is online. This can be very helpful in that you are able to narrow your search to exactly what type of food item or store you are looking for. It is not always a guarantee you will find an online coupon but the chances are pretty good. The more you begin to search for online coupons, you will find certain sites that you like more than others. Once that happens you can go straight to them rather than spending time searching the whole internet.

One of the best sites we have found is called www.pinchingyourpennies.com Not only does this site help you find online coupons, it also helps you find items that are already on sale. This means that with the sale plus the coupon you are often paying little to nothing for the item. Websites like these can save you a lot of money with much less effort than before. Try them out and let us know if you are able to have the same kind of success we have had.

1. DON”T EAT OUT! Eating out is super expensive. Amanda and I find that between the two of us we spend between 8-9 dollars a day on food. If you eat out, you will spend at least twice that on only one meal. This is one of the biggest and easiest ways to save money, not to mention it is so much healthier.

2. Shop grocery outlets or places where you can buy in bulk. Every major city has them. Amanda and I prefer Costco, mainly because it is really close to our house. Not every item in the store is a deal; you have to know normal food prices to compare, but when you do find a deal make sure you take advantage of it and stock up on the items. It is better to spend a larger amount up front if it is going to save you a significant amount in the future.

3. Be sure to comparison shop. Look at the sale tag on the item’s shelf and see how much per pound, ounce or whatever the item is sold as. Compare that to the other products to determine which is the best deal. Hopefully Amanda and I will have a list created that we can post on our site to help people know what food prices they should be looking for.

4. Always check the weekly grocery ads for the good sales. If there is a really good deal on something, be sure to buy it in multiples. This will save you from paying full price later. Amanda and I saw cereal 4 for 4 dollars the other day at smiths. We bought as many as we could store.

5. Use coupons for food products. We have found the best way to use them is combined with a sale. Most of the time, if you use a coupon without combining it with a sale, you will still be paying more than other brands, so be sure to watch for this. A great site for finding sales is called Pinching Your Pennies. They find coupons with sales and alert you as to what is the best deal available.

6. Always make extra for leftovers. This saves a tremendous amount of money and time by extending your shopping trips. We make excellent dinners with plenty of leftovers so that we can take them to work for lunch rather than eating out. We save tons of money that way not to mention that we normally eat better than we would had we gone out to eat. Have I emphasized enough that this can save you a ton of money!

7. Grow some of your own food. Amanda and I have an extremely small back yard. It is maybe 12 square feet. Every year we successfully grow tons of tomatoes which we later can into either salsa or canned tomatoes. Not only does it save you money, but it is also fun and you end up with completely organic food without paying the price you would in the grocery store. If you have a small space, be creative by using pots, small grow boxes and other things to help use the space wisely.

8. Stop buying junk food, sodas and prepared food. These are not only expensive, but unhealthy, therefore a waste of your hard-earned dollars. Learn to cook. It really isn’t as hard as some people think it is. If you have any cooking questions feel free to ask us and we will help you out.

9. Always shop with a grocery list and STICK TO IT so you don’t buy unnecessary or expensive items. Avoid spontaneous purchases and only buy the necessities or items already planned for.

10. Never shop hungry! Have you ever gone grocery shopping hungry? We have and we wanted to buy everything in sight because everything looked delicious! While you may not buy everything in sight it will increase your grocery bill.

If you follow these 10 simple steps you will find yourselves saving hundreds of dollars. Remember that the real key is to not let that money disappear into other meaningless expenses. Plan what you intend to do with that money and promise yourself you will not use it for any other purpose.

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce (you can substitute half the oil in many breads for applesauce for a healthier version and it still tastes great)
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
chocolate chips, pecans, blueberries (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

To make your zucchini bread recipe, throw all the ingredients in your Bosch mixer and mix well. Put into bread pan Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or more.

This Circulon Classic 14-Piece Cookware Set has a listing price of $728. Is is 69% OFF which means you will save over $500. That is an incredible deal that you won’t see very often.

Here is a Anolon Professional 12-Piece Nonstick Hard-Anodized Cookware Set that has a listing price of $803. It is 77% OFF. This means you will SAVE A TOTAL OF $621. This deal is too good to pass up if you have been thinking you need to buy new cookware.

Here are several other cookware sets that range from 50% – 80% OFF. Take a look at them because there are some incredible deals that you probably wont see again for a long time.

Amanda and I don’t care as much for the stainless steel cookware but if you prefer them here is another really great deal. It is a Farberware Classic Stainless Steel 13-Piece Cookware Set with a listing price of $320. It is 72% OFF which saves you $230.

We also found some incredible deals with small kitchen appliances. Take a look at these and see if there is anything you need.

This KitchenAid KFP740CR 9-Cup Food Processor with 4-Cup Mini Bowl, Chrome lists for $230. It is 41% OFF plus an added $20 MAIL IN REBATE. This food processor is one of Amanda and I’s favorite kitchen items. If you don’t have one already then this should be one of the next items on your list to purchase. You will rarely see a better deal than this.

Here are some kitchenAide machines that list for $500 dollars. They are 37% OFF which saves you a total of $185. Amanda and I definitely like the Bosch Universal more but if you enjoy a kitchenAide then this may be the time to buy. I think the colors available are Nickel Pearl, Licorice (black), and Pearl Metallic.

Here is a mixer that I have seen on display and watched people sampling them. They seem like incredible mixers but have always been too expensive for us to buy one. They are listed at $500 but right now they are 28% OFF which means you save $139.

Here is a hand mixer that is 38% OFF which saves you $50.

If you don’t see what you are looking for try searching for it on this Amazon search bar. Chances are it will be on sale and you could save a lot of money!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups red split lentils
6 cups chicken bouillon
3 garlic cloves
1 chopped onion
2 diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 fresh lemon

DIRECTIONS:

Wash lentils thoroughly (rinse in COLANDER). Soak lentils in a bowl of water for 30 minutes. Fry garlic and onion in olive oil, when onions are soft add cumin seeds and stir until they pop. Add turmeric and tomatoes and stir for around 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and lentils. Cook in a Pressure Cooker for 5 minutes and let Pressure Cooker cool on it’s own or cook covered for 1 hour and uncovered for around 15 minutes. Use HAND BLENDER or FOOD PROCESSOR to blend. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice.

INGREDIENTS:

4 large leeks
2 medium onions, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, chopped small
1 1/2 pints light chicken stock or water
1/2 pint milk
2 oz butter
2 Tbs cream
chives to garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Chop ends from leeks, split lower sections in half and wash carefully to remove grit. Slice leeks, and saute in butter with chopped onion. Add potatoes and cover, then sweat the vegetables gently for 15 minutes. Add milk and stalk or water, bring to simmering point, and let simmer until vegetables are tender. Blend to a puree, and reheat, adding cream at the end. Garnish with Chives.

INGREDIENTS:

8 cups oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
1 cup coconut
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins, craisins or dried fruit.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix first 7 ingredients. Heat oil, honey, water and peanut butter until bubbly. Add vanilla and pour over dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread on large cookie sheet. Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add dry fruit and cool. Store your homemade granola in a tight container.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbs olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 Tbs minced garlic
2 fresh tomatoes chopped
1 Tbs tomato paste
6 cups chicken broth (add more if needed)
1 can chick peas
3/4 cup tortellini
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft, add 1 Tbs. flour and fry for about one minute, add all other ingredients except tortellini. Allow to simmer for 45-60 minutes or less if in a hurry. Add tortellini and allow to simmer until it tortellini is cooked.

Tip: The amount of each ingredients is not set in stone. Feel free to vary the amount of each ingredient. Its kind of fun to make changes to recipes and every now and then you find a version that tastes even better. Have fun!